Putin Dangles LNG, Nuclear Power, and Deep-Water Port in Bid to Boost Russian-Myanmar Ties
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Myanmar's president Min Aung Hlaing signed ten documents in the Kremlin on August 18, including a joint declaration on countering Western sanctions.
The agreements cover nuclear power, liquefied natural gas, a deep-water port, and search-and-rescue satellites. The two leaders discussed expanding bilateral trade, with Putin mentioning plans to build an ironworks and organic fertiliser production facility, as well as a deep-water seaport capable of handling large-capacity vessels.
The Dawei project is where the Russian corporate involvement is actually visible. Inter RAO has been working up a coal-fired power plant, an oil refinery, and an LNG terminal tied to the Dawei deep-sea port.
Russia's bilateral trade with Myanmar ran at $34.45mn in the 2020-21 fiscal year and $74.73mn in 2023-24 - more than doubling, but still negligible. The two countries are discussing increasing supplies of mineral fertilisers, petroleum products, engineering products, and agricultural products.